Q. My cat runs around the house like crazy almost every time she goes No. 2 in her litter box. Is this normal? — Alice G.

A. Abnormal behavior in cats is normal, and in this case, your cat is very normal. Probably most of the people who are owned by a cat has witnessed this undignified celebration of litter box use, which I like to call poo-phoria.

Most of the cats I’ve shared my life with exhibited this behavior, and when one of them would burst into the room, pounce on me, race off in the other direction, run up the scratching post and make a flying leap for the couch, I always knew it was time for a little litter box maintenance.

Recognizing it as normal, however, doesn’t really explain why they do it, but there are some very interesting theories.

One such hypothesis is that the craziness relates to the days when cats were wild and life was a bit more serious than it is now for the average house cat. The wild cats chose to defecate far from their lairs so as not to give away their position to potential predators or territorial competitors.

They would do their business quickly, cover it up and then run back to their lair. But they wouldn’t run in a straight line, in case they were being followed. Instead, they would take an erratic track.

Today’s domesticate kitties do the same thing, probably not understanding why, but following that instinct from their ancestors. It might also explain why outdoor cats prefer their neighbors’ yards over their own.

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Another theory is that even the cat can’t stand the smell of its own poop. The cat does its doodie and then runs away from the smell, also hoping that the rush of air through its fur will remove any traces of stink.

While I agree that the poop smells like nothing ought ever to smell and would make anyone want to run away, I don’t think that’s the reason. The cat seems to enjoy tearing through the house too much for it to just be an escape.

Which brings us to the last theory and that’s the belief that the act of using the litter box is somewhat pleasurable and puts the cat in a playful mood.

There is a physiological explanation. The vagus nerve in cats — and humans — runs from the brain to the colon, and the act of going poo can stimulate that nerve and cause some exhilaration.

If your cat has never done this before and suddenly starts, there might be something less fun going on, especially if the cat stops using the litter box for poop. Cats are all about cause-and-effect. If they use the litter box and experience pain, they then blame the litter box. If it hurts when I go here, they reason, then I’ll go over here.

In that case, your cat could be experiencing pain, which indicates a trip the vet is required. But in the vast majority of cases, the cat is fine and just enjoying the simple, yet smelly, aspects of life.